


My Precious Child

by Stariceling



Category: Toriko (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Adoption, Child Abandonment, Early series spoilers, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-18
Updated: 2014-01-18
Packaged: 2018-03-18 07:30:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3561335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stariceling/pseuds/Stariceling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Quiet moment with Melk shortly after finding his baby girl.</p>
            </blockquote>





	My Precious Child

**Author's Note:**

> For Tyg (tygerlander)
> 
> Prompts:  
> D - Darkness  
> R - Mail -or- a letter  
> A - Winter  
> G - Truth  
> O - Secrets  
> N - A mystery
> 
> I kept thinking while writing this he might have given Melk II a name but no one knows what it is ‘cause no one could hear him. (Though now he’s just super proud she took his name so it doesn’t matter.)

It was dark except for the occasional flicker from the kitchen fire slowly settling down to embers. Melk settled down himself, adjusting the sleeping baby girl tucked in his arm. She was finally sleeping more than a few hours at a time. At least, he hoped that trend would continue. He had never realized babies required so much tending.

Already she was growing, no longer the tiny infant he had found as she slowly gained both weight and control over her body. Already her little hands were so strong that when she grabbed his fingers he had trouble getting them free again. Melk imagined his tiny daughter growing up healthy and strong.

She was his daughter now. After the scramble of learning to care for her had eased, he found he couldn’t think of her any other way. Moving slowly so as not to wake her, he reached for the letter that had been tucked in her blanket. It had migrated around the house as he tried to decide what to do with it.

It was too dark to read now, but he had no desire to read it again. He had expected an impassioned plea. ‘Please care for my precious child’ at the very least. The girl sleeping safe in his arm deserved at least that much.

He should have known better than to expect that of someone who abandoned a baby in the wild in winter.

Whoever his baby girl grew up to be, these words were one thing she didn’t need.

Melk tossed the letter into the dying fire. The soft flare of flames crawling up to consume it flickered warm light over his daughter’s peaceful face.

She wouldn’t have to know anything but the truth: that he had found her, that he would raise her, and that she was his daughter.


End file.
